City of Sin (Yanyu Jiangnan)

Hunting

Tzu continued to console Richard for some time, telling him there was no need to be disappointed with his bloodline; he was only half elf, and he hadn’t spent any of his life living under a world tree. Clearly fatigued by her display, she bid him farewell so he could rest.

He spent the next few days discussing the current situation of the Evernight Tribe with her; he wanted to take the threat of the locals seriously, but at the same time he was far more worried about Iskara’s curse. He could see her aura weakening day after day, and a few savages that he could wipe out once his broodmother levelled up a little more was nothing in the face of his mother’s best friend.

The fourth day since his arrival, he could no longer live under the tree of life. Feeling his own blood seething at the sight of Tzu wasting away, he escaped into a world of murder as he wiped out every forest elf nearby. The ever-clouded sky seemed even darker than before, the world losing colour beyond the putrid green. He could smell the stench of his enemies whenever they were nearby, something that he had thought to be an exaggeration until now.

Feeling the odour wafting over in the wind, he looked up and narrowed his eyes like a leopard. Whispering a simple chant, his figure blurred and vanished before he reappeared a dozen metres away under an old tree. Quietly leaping up the trunk and walking across the thick bough, he came across a hunter waiting for any Evernight elves that strayed far enough to become prey.

*Schlick!* A translucent green blade pierced through the elf’s heart, the attack filled with life energy to the point that the dead man only felt a little numbness as his innards were ripped apart.

Withdrawing his sword, Richard stared at the flicker of gold passing through it numbly. He now knew this weapon’s original name was Moonlight, and it was one of the divine weapons of Silvermoon Palace. Blessed by Alucia herself, it possessed the strength of all seven moons. Just like Tzu’s spear, the Skylance, it was meant for an elven lord.

Moonlight’s greatest power came in its ability to activate Alucia’s blessing, forming a terrifying storm of energy that would wipe out anything fifty metres ahead of the wielder. Unfortunately, every usage of such a blessing was one blessing gone forever; there had only been one left behind in the blade when Gaton invaded, and it had likely been used by a despairing lord to take a number of knights from the Sacred Alliance. Now, the weapon was nothing more than a well-crafted blade.

The sword’s current strength came from Tzu and the Evernight tree of life. Having originated from Norland, this tree’s essence was much more powerful and pure than its local counterparts. Tzu had then added in some of her own bloodline power, increasing its affinity with nature and boosting its piercing ability. Still, even able to boost the power of his life energy by a third, she claimed that Moonlight was only a tenth as strong as it had once been.

Richard put the sword away and leapt off the ancient tree, continuing his hunt. The Duskword hunter remained frozen in his original place, white flowers growing on his rapidly-decaying corpse.

……

Richard wandered the woods like a night wolf, the power of nature constantly surging in his surroundings as the world obeyed his command and covered up every sign of his presence. Listening to the woods and sniffing out the animals that had put his aunt in danger before he even knew her, he killed enemy after enemy.

A level 16 druid quickly followed the hunter, watching in disbelief as his body returned to the dirt. Far too reliant on their perception of nature, these enemies were even easier to kill. As someone who had spent five whole years in a battlefield of despair, Richard was already a seasoned assassin that could use his prey’s weaknesses to kill them before they even realised their predicament.

The sight of gold rippling along Moonlight’s blade left him feeling worse every time. It reminded him that Tzu had used up some of her pure bloodline, a sacrifice that only pushed her closer to death.

Iskara… That name resounded in his mind, every syllable resounding in the silent forest. The demon god’s power had burrowed into the depths of her soul, and if he won she would be left a husk of existence. He would then take over her body, wandering the Forest Plane in the search of more prey. As he amassed a puppet army, this entire plane would eventually be left with a single hive mind.

Tzu had explained that any attempt to heal her would be latched onto by the demon god, giving him a target for his next possession. If he tried to aid her in this battle, Iskara could target him with the curse next. As someone who hadn’t even entered the legendary realm, he would lose instantly.

……

While Richard was busy calming his mind with slaughter, countless treants were currently plunging their roots deep into the ground deep in the forest. Having come from far and wide, they had consumed far too much energy and needed a long period of rest to recover. The concentrated group of dozens of treants held up a number of treehouses, their roots forming natural passages for the local elves to walk through. A number of warriors were resting in the treehouses, conserving their strength for an imminent battle just like predators preparing for the hunt.

Within the largest treehouse that was right in the middle, an old elf dressed in luxurious robes and adorned with many ornaments was listening to a hunter’s report with his brows locked together. As the hunter finished, his frown deepened as he asked slowly, “There has been no word at all?”

“All 32 scouts we sent in the past seven days. We have no information on the Evernight elves,” the hunter answered respectfully.